Tag: 747

The number of active wildfires in Chile has varied from week to week depending on the weather, but the drought-driven situation that has plagued Chile since December is still of great concern to the residents of the country — especially since more than 1,000 homes burned in Santa Olga on January 25.

The 747 Supertanker returned to Colorado Springs on February 13 after being in Chile for three weeks. The Russian IL-76 is still there but is expected to depart on February 25.

Neptune’s Tanker 03, a BAe-146, arrived in the country February 4. It has completed 20 missions dropping on fires, but a spokesperson for the company told us today it has not flown since February 14. It is committed to remain in Chile through the end of this month.

The Russian IL-76 (in the foreground) taxis past the 747, January 30, ,2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert.The Russian IL-76 at Santiago, Chile January 30 shortly after it arrived in the country. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Above: A screen capture from a video shot from the cockpit of the 747 SuperTanker.

This video is a compilation of scenes recorded from the cockpit of the 747 SuperTanker as it dropped on fires in Chile between February 5 and 12, 2017. It was shot from a camera set up by Tom Parsons, one of the pilots on the air tanker.

If you enlarge the video to full screen you might be able to see the lead plane in the first two of the three shots.

On January 24, 2017 the 747 SuperTanker left its base in Colorado Springs, Colorado for an assignment in Chile. It returned on February 13 after dropping on many wildfires in the South American country, making as many as seven sorties in a day each with 19,200 gallons of water enhanced with an additive to help make the water more effective, since long term retardant was not available.

After 17 years as a ground based wildland firefighter, with much as it as a smokejumper, Jamie Tackman transitioned to the air, becoming a lead plane pilot. He has worked off and on with the 747 air tankers since Evergreen converted the first one. Now retired from the U.S. Forest Service, he traveled to Chile to provide lead plane services for the huge aircraft operated by Global SuperTankers. This time he had a different role, or at least a different platform, flying ahead of the air tanker as usual but in an aircraft flown by military pilots.

Bill Gabbert interviewed Jamie, who began by describing the situation. Chile has no infrastructure for supervising, using, or refilling large or very large air tankers and they were unfamiliar with the concept of lead planes. In spite of these challenges the personnel working with the 747 and the other aircraft developed procedures to fight the fires from the air, while the local firefighters improvised a system on the ground for refilling the 747 and the IL-76 with water.

Above: Members of the 747 SuperTanker crew, and others, assemble after the crew received an award from the Chilean Red Cross.

The Red Cross in Chile presented each member of the 747 SuperTanker crew with an Extraordinary Services Medal, the highest honor the organization can bestow on individuals contributing to the management of emergency services.

The aircraft has been in the country since January 25 and initially flew many missions dropping water on wildfires, but Jim Wheeler, President and CEO of Global Supertanker, said today the fire activity has slowed greatly, and they have not dropped on a fire in the last five to six days. They expect to still be assigned there through Sunday, February 12, and while there is a slight chance they could be extended beyond that date, it is not likely unless the fire situation changes.

747 SuperTanker VP for Flight Operations & Chief Pilot Cliff Hale receives award from the Chilean Red Cross. The other members of the crew also received awards, including Scott Olson on the right, VP of Maintenance.

Just a quick video of the 747 SuperTanker pulling up to the reload pit at Santiago, Chile airport after completing its seventh sortie on February 1, 2017, making a total of 11 drops on the 7 sorties. Six of the sorties were near Navidad and Matanzas 115 miles (185 km) southwest of the Santiago airport where many structures were threatened. The seventh was near Concepcion, 404 miles (650 km) south of Santiago. In total, 138,400 gallons (508,759 l.) were delivered to assist the firefighters on the ground who actually put out the fires.

This video contains shots of many water drops by the 747 Supertanker since it arrived January 25 in Chile. Some of the drops are seen multiple times recorded by different people from various angles. I guess you could call it air tanker porn.

There is one thing all of the shots have in common — the joy and exuberance that you hear every time the huge aircraft appears. Some of it comes from knowing it will assist the firefighters on the ground who may have been struggling to put out the fire that was threatening the property of the bystanders. And the rest perhaps is the novelty of it — seeing this massive machine they have been hearing about on the news and having the chance to see it in person. It is likely that none of them have ever seen in person a large or certainly not a very large air tanker. The country has some single engine air tankers but nothing like this critter.

As this is written at 1713 Chile time on January 31, the 747 just took off on its 4th mission today, carrying another 19,200-gallon load to a fire south of Santiago. (UPDATE at 2310 Chile time: the aircraft flew five missions today.)

I’m catching up on some photos taken in Chile on January 29, 2017. They were taken at the Santiago Airport except for the two airborne shots which were in southern Chile.

The Chilean Air Force CASA that is serving as a lead plane for the 747.Firefighters arrive from Venezuela.As seen from the cockpit of the 747 Supertanker, this is the Chilean Air Force CASA that is serving as a lead plane for the 747. Photo by Don Paulsen.Jim Wheeler (in the blue shirt), President and CEO of Global SuperTanker, is interviewed by the press at the Santiago Airport.